1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly to a portable terminal having a hinge allowing a folder section to rotate.
2. Background of the Related Art
People generally use various functions of portable terminals while carrying them. Portable terminals include cellular phones, PDAs, smart phones and the like. Recently, portable terminals equipped with cameras have been produced. A portable terminal includes a swivel hinge to allow a folder section to rotate with respect to a main body section of the portable terminal in a state that the folder section is opened.
FIGS. 1-2b show a conventional portable terminal having a swivel hinge. As shown in FIGS. 1-2b, various parts including a main board are installed in a main body section 1. The main body section 1 is provided at a front surface thereof with a plurality of keys 3 for allowing a user to input various information.
A folder section 5 is connected to one end of the main body section 1. The folder section 5 is provided with a display screen 7 for displaying various kinds of information. The folder section 5 is coupled to the main body section 1 through a swivel hinge 10 so that the folder section 5 can be moved from an open position to a closed position, or vise versa, with respect to the main body section 1 while being rotated in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction.
The swivel hinge 10 includes a first hinge section 12 positioned between a pair of rotation guide members 11, which are integrally formed at both upper side ends of the main body section 1. The first hinge section 12 functions as a rotational center when the folder section 5 is moved from the closed position to the open position, or vice versa, with respect to the main body section 1. The first hinge section 12 is connected to the main body section 1.
FIG. 2a shows a side view of the conventional portable terminal when the folder section 5 is located in the open position with respect to the main body section 1. In addition, the swivel hinge 10 includes a second hinge section 13 provided at one side of the first hinge section 12 perpendicular to a length direction of the first hinge section 11. A rotational center line of the first hinge section 12 is perpendicular to a rotational center line of the second hinge section 13. The folder section 5 is connected to the second hinge section 13.
Accordingly, if the second hinge section 13 rotates with respect to the first hinge section 12, the folder section 5 is rotated in a left or a right direction of the main body section 1 when viewed from a front of the main body section 1. FIG. 2b shows the folder section 5 rotated in the left direction of the main body section 1.
Generally, when the folder section 5 moves or rotates about the first and second hinge sections 12 and 13 by a predetermined angle, the folder section 5 has been automatically shifted into a predetermined position with respect to the main body section 1. In particular, a spring (not shown) is installed to allow the first and second hinge sections 12 and 13 to elastically bias the folder section 5 towards the predetermined position, or a cam mechanism is adopted in the portable terminal.
As shown in FIG. 2a, the folder section 5 can be rotated from the main body section 1 by an angle of approximately 135°, or can be shifted into the closed position by applying elastic force of a spring to the folder section 5 utilizing a cam mechanism. Further, when the folder section 5 rotates by a predetermined angle, the folder section 5 is automatically shifted into predetermined positions as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b. 
However, as described above, the conventional portable terminal has various disadvantages. Since the spring and cam mechanism are used for automatically shifting the folder section 5 to the predetermined position when the folder section 5 rotates by the predetermined angle, the number of parts for the swivel hinge 10 is increased. Further, if the swivel hinge 10 is formed by using the conventional spring and cam mechanism, the elastic property of the spring may deteriorate or wear of the spring may occur when the swivel hinge 10 has been used for a long time, which lowers the reliability of the swivel hinge 10. In addition, the folder section 5 rotatably connected to the main body section 1 may interfere with the main body section 1 when the folder section 5 rotates when the folder section 5 is insufficiently opened. If the folder section 5 interferes with the main body section 1, the folder section 5 cannot easily rotate, and the main body section 1 and the folder section 5 may be damaged.
The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.